The
fame of Huanglong stems to a large extent from its
unique travertine and limestone landform. At the
foot of the snow-clad Xuebaoding Mountain lies a
gully 400 or so metres deep that was brought into
being by ancient glaciers. In times immemorial,
large quantities of calcium carbonate was dissolved
by meltwater and seeped through earth’s surface to
form a huge travertine deposit 3.6 kilometres long
and 30-170 metres wide. The deposit is studded with
3,400 or so pools and many caves, and streaked by
many waterfalls and a 2.5 -kilometer-long stream.
Meltwater flowing all over the travertine deposit
tumbles down one cliff head after another, threads
through forests, feeds ponds, overflowsdykes, rolls
across shallow places until it empties into the
Fujiang River. The ponds, lying one atop the other,
assume a hundred and one different colour and form
what looks like a terraced field. The waterfalls
emit a pleasant sound as they cascade like colored
clouds. The calcium-containing shoals are crystal
clear to the extent of being transparent. The
streams flow this way and that along courses that
look like numerous golden dragons swimming in dense
woods and between snowy peaks and a blue sky that is
filled with blue clouds. The entire scenery is
evocative of the dwelling place of the Queen Mother
of the Western Paradise. Hence the nickname of the
place: Jasper Lake of the Mundane World. In 1982,
Huang- long was designated as one of China’s first
group of key scenic resorts. In 1990, Huanglong and
Jiuzhaigou topped China’s list of forty best scenic.
In 1992,Huanglong was one of a group of Chinese
scenic zones to appearing the UNESCO list of world
natural heritages. After so many years of oblivion
and seclusion, Huanglong today is poised for a
takeoff like a real dragon.